Howard Stern Says He'll Stop Using Gay Slurs

Shock jock Howard Stern said this week
on The Howard Stern Show that he'll stop using gay slurs.

The 57-year-old self-described “King
of All Media” told his radio audience that he's done using the word
“fag.”

The day after Stern hosted comedian
Lisa Lampanelli a caller asked if he was put off by her frequent use
of the word on his show.

“I wasn't put off, I know that's her
act, she'll use fag or something like that, and occasionally out of
old habit I'll use the word fag or that's so faggy or something. But
I have a tremendous compassion for people who are homosexuals. I
feel they are bullied and abused in our society.

“And they take such shit just 'cause
they like to be with the same sex. It seems absurd to me.”

“It must be a terrible thing to be
exposed to that kind of hatred and be hated just 'cause of your
sexuality. It's starting to bother me. It is, I gotta be honest
with you.”

Later, Stern added, “Even this whole
thing now where gay people can't get married really pisses me off. I
mean, it actually makes me angry.” (The full audio clip is
embedded in the right panel of this page.)

In a blog post, media watchdog the Gay
& Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) cheered Stern: “We
applaud Howard Stern for recognizing the dehumanizing potential of
using anti-gay slurs, and for using his platform to communicate that
potential to his audience.”